I got Jim to promise to write up a story and take pictures once he got his bike, and he did not disappoint. So now, for your collective jealousy, Jim’s story of what it’s like to win this amazing bike.

We were on a family vacation in Lake Placid when Fatty had his WBR drawing. Our son, our niece’s husband, and a good friend of theirs had just competed in the Lake Placid Ironman the weekend before and we were all in recovery mode. Imagine my surprise when I opened my email that afternoon to read I had won the Trek-Enve-SRAM bicycle!

I spent a good part of that weekend on the Trek web site looking at the Project One options, and my brain was quickly saturated with the possibilities. I thought I had it all worked out and let it rest for a while.

Our first week back home was hectic, not only catching up on the work that accumulated while we were away, but also working with the great folks at High Road Cycles in Wayne, PA to figure out just what I would need in frame size, cockpit components, gearing, and so on. Pat and Isaac at High Road were absolutely great, and Isaac even set me up with a Madone to take out for a spin after a preliminary fitting, just to see how it felt.

About that time Fatty and The Hammer took off for Leadville, and the bike project understandably took a short break. On August 19 Fatty sent a message to Katie at WBR, Jake at Enve and Brandon at Trek with the subject line “Please help Jim (Project 1 Winner) with his Prize.” I was able to communicate with each of them very quickly and after a little more thought on the frame conveyed my choices. With my wife’s help (she is the artist in the family) I modified the color scheme of the frame a bit, and I have to say the final piece is really stunning.

Just about the time I was beginning to get antsy over when the parts would be delivered I heard from Isaac at High Road that (almost) everything was in and I could come in later that week to make the selections I would need to provide to make it a complete bike – you know, things like a saddle, tires and pedals. Here’s a picture of the frame in the shop last Friday evening:

I have to say I am really happy with the color scheme. And here is a picture of the final assembly, with my newest best friend Isaac, who along with ace mechanic Jude spearheaded the work in the shop:

I raced home from work this evening so I could get a couple of pictures with a clear background:

and

When I was surfing the trek site in preparation for placing the order with Brandon, I realized this bike would be in their signature series, so I had to come up with something appropriate. Here’s what I settled on, as a reminder of where this great bike came from:

Now all I need is a quiet afternoon at work or a weekend with some free time for a ride (wedding anniversary celebration this weekend with a short trip, so I am still waiting). This is one really wonderful bicycle, and the folks at World Bicycle Relief / SRAM, Enve, and Trek have been absolutely stellar in working with me to put this together. The bicycle is a far better machine than I am a rider, and I will do my best to live up to it.

Thanks to Elden for putting this great fund raiser together; thanks to Katie at World Bicycle relief, Jake at Enve, and Brandon at Trek for kicking in such great components to make this once in a lifetime dream a reality. World Bicycle Relief will remain high on our donations list for many years to come.

And special thanks to the great folks at High Road Cycles for working with me and putting this great machine together so well.

Beautiful bike Jim. As we know from the story link above it went to a truly deserving winner. I do want to make a self sacrificing offer:

Since winters are so harsh in your part of the country I am offering my home as a vacation refuge for your new bike. It will be in good company and have a chance to play with others on roads free of ice, salt, and snow. The sun will glint off those new shiny parts as it tools along the California Coast. Who knows maybe even share a pull with Levi should their paths cross.

Your bike will return rested, tanned, and ready for Spring. Your bike…and I will thank you.

@Davidh, I lived in the Bay Area a few years back and did a lot of riding there, and I can appreciate the sincerity of your kind offer. I made it up to Sonoma County one summer for the Waves to Wine ride and can vouch for the beautiful climate and countryside.

Thanks for offering to care and feed the new bike for a while, but I think the separation anxiety would get to me. And, s I recall, your legs are a bit longer than mine (54 cm frame for me) so the riding you would have to do to keep her/him from going stale might be a bit awkward.

I think we’ll suffer through the Philly winters and look forward to the long days of summer.

What a beautiful bike and adding the WBR to the top tube was a great idea.
One benefit to you living back east is that in the winter you can hang it on your wall like the piece of art that it is and stare at it all day long….maybe set it up on the wall in front of your trainer as motivation….

Thank you Fatty for making Jim promise to give a write-up and photos AND posting it on your site. It is really fun to read about the people that win the big prizes.

Jim – what an amazing bike! One of the things I love about Fatty’s contests (except for the fact that I have no chance of winning ;-) is that the most wonderful people win the prizes. :) I love being a part of the FoF family!

So Jim, you MUST come to Davis next year and bring your beautiful new bike! :)

Also, our wonderful fall weather is finally over. Sigh. Winter is imminent. I can console myself with my VERY expensive 45 North studded fat bike tires. No joke, one tire costs more than one of my fancy studless winter tires! However, no falling on icey roads for me!

Jim,
The bike looks awesome! My favorite part – of course the World Bicycle Relief on the top tube. Very classy and thank you! It was really great working with you on this prize. A big congratulations and happy riding to you!
Thanks for the continued support of WBR to all of you!
Katie

High Road Cycles in Wayne PA is my LBS and Isaac is awesome! So cool to see the shop and Isaac in the blog. Congratulations, Jim – maybe I’ll see you around the hood. I’ll know you by your bike!
Barbara